| The generous John Jarndyce, struggling with his own past, and his two young wards Richard and Ada, are all caught up, like Lady Dedlock, in the infamous case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, which will make one of them rich beyond imagination if it can ever be brought to a conclusion. As Tulkinghorn digs deeper into Lady Dedlock's past, he unearths a secret that will change their lives forever, and which is almost as astounding as the final outcome of the Jarndyce case. |
| Name | Character | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Gillian Anderson | Lady Dedlock | 15 |
| Charles Dance | Mr. Tulkinghorn | 15 |
| Carey Mulligan | Ada Clare | 15 |
| Anna Maxwell Martin | Esther Summerson | 15 |
| Burn Gorman | William Guppy | 15 |
| Richard Harrington | Allan Woodcourt | 15 |
| Denis Lawson | John Jarndyce | 15 |
| Natalie Press | Caddy Jellyby | 15 |
| Patrick Kennedy | Richard Carstone | 15 |
| Tom Georgeson | Clamb | 14 |
| Timothy West | Sir Leicester Dedlock | 12 |
| Hugo Speer | Sergeant George | 10 |
| Pauline Collins | Miss Flite | 10 |
| Phil Davis | Smallweed | 9 |
| Anne Reid | Mrs. Rouncewell | 9 |
| Alun Armstrong | Inspector Bucket | 9 |
| Nathaniel Parker | Harold Skimpole | 9 |
| Richard Cant | Mercury | 6 |
| Johnny Vegas | Krook | 6 |
| Dermot Crowley | Mr. Vholes | 6 |
| Harry Eden | Jo | 6 |
| Warren Clarke | Boythorn | 5 |
| Ian Richardson | Chancellor | 5 |
| Charlie Brooks | Jenny | 5 |
| Matthew Kelly | Mr. Turveydrop | 5 |
| Alistair McGowan | Mr. Kenge | 4 |
| Richard Griffiths | Mr. Bayham Badger | 2 |
| John Lynch | Nemo / Captain James Hawdon | 2 |
| Tony Haygarth | Gridley | 2 |
| Joanna David | Mrs. Badger | 2 |
| Amelda Brown | Landlady | 1 |
| Liza Tarbuck | Mrs. Jellyby | 1 |
| Robert Pugh | Mr. Chadband | 1 |
| Catherine Tate | Mrs. Chadband | 1 |
| Kelly Hunter | Miss Barbary | 1 |